Millennium Development Goals

The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were agreed at the United Nations Millennium Summit in September 2000 and nearly 190 countries have signed up to them. The goals are international targets for reducing global poverty.

They aim to lift around 500 million people out of poverty by the year 2015. If this happens, fewer women will die in childbirth, fewer people will die from treatable diseases, many more boys and girls will go to school and the lives of millions of people will improve dramatically.

As part of the seventh MDG – to ensure environmental sustainability – all UN member states have pledged to halve the number of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015.

Providing access to water and sanitation is also vital if the other Millennium Development Goals are to be achieved, such as alleviating poverty, hunger and malnutrition; reducing child mortality; increasing gender equality; providing more opportunity for education; and ensuring environmental sustainability.

If the goal of halving the number of people without access to water by 2015 is to be met, an extra 150,000 people a day, every day will need to get access to clean water. That requires huge efforts by governments. But for many in poor countries – particularly some parts of Africa – clean water just hasn’t received the focus it needs to achieve this goal.

Did you know?

It would cost an estimated extra US$16 billion each year to reach the goal of halving the proportions of people without access to safe water and sanitation. This is less than North Americans and Europeans spend on pet food in one year!